Third Battle of Silver Hill
Third battle between Imperial forces and Pelavi soldiers happened almost 30 years after these two forces clashed here the last time. Outcome of this battle was, contrary to the other two, decisive Pelavi victory. One whole legion of Purple cloaks was trapped behind enemy lines surrounded by Pelavi forces. Pelavi suddenly had an open way into the Imperial territory, eventually occupying almost half of the Riessenland. Additionally, this battle revealed that The Children have been awaken. Background This battle was part of the Imperial-Pelavi conflict known as Second Felsenkrieg. Both empires experienced increased tension months prior the battle, which in the end escalated into full conflict in the border area of the Grey mountains, northern part of the Riesenland region. After series of skirmishes and assaults on the fortified positions on both sides, Imperial commanders decided major battle is to be fought. They reasoned they need to get rid of mages in the ranks of Pelavi forces in this area. For this they came up with the plan to arrange battle just near the border, on the plain under the Silver hill - southernmost major hill of the Grey mountains. High general Mülford zu Larske wanted to offer target too tempting for Pelavi mages to refuse. Plan was to strike at them from the rear while they would be conjuring their filthy spells. In the past 150 years, the site saw already two battles between these two countries, both time Imperial forces were victorious. Generals in the Imperial headquarter were confident that history would repeat itself again. Imperial soldiers assembled at the grass plane, with Silver mountain on their left flank. On this flank were two companies of skirmishers and light infantry. South of them, in the center of the formation, were assembled heavy infantry units, this part of the field was also pre-targeted by artillery. Right flank was guarded by cavalry units part of which were also heavily armoured knights. Right flank was then covered by forest. This offered great opportunity for Pelavi to sneak through the forest and attack Imperial flank, seemingly unaware. However this was part of the plan. Imperial generals wanted to use cavalry as a bait to lure Pelavies into this place. Hidden in the forest was Purple cloaks of Legion VI (Mountain Wolves) under commander Ulrich Blaub zu Hagstein, grouped with three inquisitorial squads to negate Pelavi spells. Battle Battle started shortly before dawn, when Pelavi skirmishers started to test the strength of the mustering imperial ranks. To zu Larske, these skirmishes achieved only little, only postponing his battle preparation by one hour since he needed to hold back ambush forces on the right flank. Zu Larske was afraid that the trap might spring early, so he rather patiently waited till Pelavi were fought back. Only then did he send Purple cloaks and Inquisition’s mage hunters into the forest. This took another hour as the soldiers doubled back first, making sure they were not seen during the movement. Additional time allowed The Children to conjure a spell hiding all traces of magic in and around the forest, where elite Pelavi squads were hiding already. Imperials expected to find Pelavies in the forest, as per reports they had. But Imperial intelligence failed to discover presence of The Children. This was probably the biggest mistake of the Empire. Once zu Larske’s soldiers were in formation, artillery started pounding Pelavi lines. Wet soil absorbed some of the damage, while considerable portion of Pelavi soldiers took shelter in hastily dug foxholes. However, once guns felt silent and main body of the Imperial army moved forward, there were three gaps in the Pelavi ranks that could have been exploited. And indeed, zu Larske ordered to target the gaps. He believed Pelavi will see the obvious weak point and will draw their attention to those sections of the line. That was a perfect time for zu Hagstein to attack. Situation on the Imperial right flank Ulrich Blaub zu Hagstein was fully aware of the plan and he was allowed to act on his own once opportunity presented itself. His soldiers were well hidden in the forest and spotted some of the Pelavi scouts, lurking. Soon after was forest full of Pelavies, advancing, preparing to storm into Imperial flank. Witnesses agreed that zu Hagstein recognized the perfect moment and was about to order the attack. In that very moment, forest all around zu Hastein's men came to life, there was no other way to describe it. Trees swung their branches and were hitting men in scores, even crushing them as the trees moved around. Out of nowhere The Children sprung from the soil and started to slit Imperial throats. Pelavi soldier quickly joined the fray. First the to be targeted were the witch hunters, they ultimately failed to deal with the enemy mages. Some say they were not able to fight The Children, this however does not excuse their failure. Pelavies and their filthy magic were able to encircle all of zu Hagstein's detachment, hunters became hunted. Zu Larske, unaware just then about the development on his right flank, was pushing hard into the gaps created by the artillery. The terrain here was quite uneven and Imperial soldiers in their armour had troubles to move forwards. After half an hour Imperials were bogged down and were struggling to hold their ground, as Pelavies were attacking them from all sides. Zu Larske, believing that Purple cloaks fulfilled their mission and cleared the forest, ordered cavalry on the right flank to attack and push forward. As their horses galloped past the tree line, once again it looked liked the trees themselves were the enemies. Dozens of riders ended on the ground, some of them badly wounded, there was panic in the Imperial ranks. Right after that the Pelavies attacked from the forest, cutting down man and horses alike. Biggest advantage of the cavalry, their speed, was negated by the trees and enemy quickly profited on it. Retreat Only then the general staff recognized how dire the situation was. As The Children appeared and started to finish off Imperial cavalrymen, as Pelavies on Imperial right flank started to push into the center, and as Pelavi reinforcement supported opposition against the Imperial left flank, only then zu Larske ordered to signal general retreat. Artillery crews asked permission to stay and cover the retreat by using shrapnel ammunition, this was denied. Zu Larske knew he will need the guns and their crews later. To cover the retreat was assigned to 56th Heavy Infantry company and 17th Grenadier company. Commanders of both units were awarded Black Cross posthumously. Aftermath As shocking as it was, this defeat was not as hard blow as it could have been. While Imperial army suffered heavy losses and left Mountain Wolves legion lost behind enemy lines, Pelavi forces moved only slowly, not trying to pursue remnants of zu Larske's forces. He was at least able to save all of his guns and with a pitiful force of 500 men retreated to Gatt. Thanks to slow pace Pelavies set, week after the battle they occupied only half of the Riessenland region but got dangerously close to Gatt. Battle also revealed that The Children were asleep no longer. Reason for their awakening was not known but this proved to Imperial High Command that northern front needed much grander focus and additional resources. Festungstadt Gatt imposed martial law and prepared for siege. Controversy It was debated right after the battle that there must have been a traitor among the good Imperial soldiers. Some corrupted soul betrayed beloved Emperor and revealed Imperial plans to the enemy. Some say that the ground around the center of the Pelavi lines was worked on the night before. There were small holes dug, some even with wooden spikes in them. Supposedly, this caused the attack to slow down and allowed Pelavies to take the initiative. This also suggested that Pelavies knew when and where the battle should take place.